Resumen:

Most of the literature on income distribution has been concentrated on inequality. In this paper
we introduce also efficiency considerations to analize social welfare according to the established
theory in Welfare Economics. We propose a simple but useful spMost of the literature on income distribution has been concentrated on inequality. In this paper
we introduce also efficiency considerations to analize social welfare according to the established
theory in Welfare Economics. We propose a simple but useful specification which combines three
features: (i) a procedure to make welfare comparisons across households with different needs; (ii)
the use of household specific statistical price indices to make intertemporal comparisons in real
terms, and (iii) the selection of measurement instruments on the grounds of their properties for
applied work, including the important additive separability property. The methodology is applied
to the study of the role of prices and demographic effects in the evolution of the standard of living
in Spain from 1973-74 to 1980-81.[+][-]